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Screening will start at 12:00 Noon US EDT; 19:00 Palestine, 18:00 Europe, UK 17:00; Running Time 32 minutes, 2025, English. The film screening will be followed by discussions with Khaled Sabawi, co-screenwriter.
About the Film
When a leaked video of his lecture on the Psychology of Oppression goes viral and sparks accusations of anti-Semitism, tenured Palestinian-American professor Karim Hadawi finds himself at a crossroads with a harrowing ultimatum: issue a public apology to salvage his career or risk losing not only his job but also the custody of his beloved daughter. This unexpected challenge forces Karim to navigate a turbulent territory where principles clash with the pressures of employment and public perception, plunging him into a distressing battle for integrity, family, and the preservation of freedom of speech.
About Film Director
Rodrigue Hammal is a Canadian filmmaker with Lebanese and Syrian heritage. His childhood and teenage years were shaped by the tumultuous times of the Lebanese civil war. As a queer filmmaker born amidst this backdrop, Rodrigue's experiences have indelibly influenced his perspective on life and storytelling, drawing him to subjects and narratives that delve into the experiences of minorities, mental health, and human struggles.
This passion for authentic storytelling led him to graduate with honors in filmmaking from the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts in Beirut. From there, he dove headfirst into the director’s chair, orchestrating a range of projects spanning short films, web series, and documentaries. His work has garnered multiple accolades, elevating his career and underscoring his significant impact on the world of storytelling.
SCREENWRITERS
STORY BY NADER YOUSEF
Nader Yousef is a Palestinian-American independent filmmaker, musician, and co-owner of a videography company based in Austin, Texas. Nader is the kind of person who listens to Oum Kalthoum while playing baseball and dips his tenders in olive oil, meaning cultural blending shapes his artistic identity through the films he works on and the music he makes (but never chocolate hummus). His successes range from being on the big screen at the Austin Film Festival, to working on high budget productions for HBO and Netflix, to having his script translated to screen by Open Screenplay, and more. He credits his experience as an immigrant for who he is today and he will ensure to carry that beautiful burden wherever he goes.
SCREENPLAY BY
KHALED SABAWI AND SAMI SABAWI
Khaled Sabawi is a Canadian-Palestinian serial entrepreneur and executive producer. While he began screenwriting and directing at age 16, Khaled ventured into entrepreneurship where he founded award-winning for-profit social enterprises in renewable energy and indigenous property rights protection in the West Bank and screenwriting-tech in Canada. Khaled received the Young Alumni Achievement Medal from the University of Waterloo and was featured on the cover of Forbes Middle East for his entrepreneurial work. Khaled is the Co-Founder of Open Screenplay, and has produced 4 award-winning short films. Exception is Khaled’s first screenwriting credit.
Sami Sabawi is a Canadian-Palestinian producer, screenwriter, and Co-Founder of Open Screenplay, who along with cousin and partner Khaled Sabawi, produced 4 award-winning short films, and co-wrote the screenplay for Exception.
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